Under the weather
by Tuvstarr's lost heart
Summary: When Mako works himself to the bone to try to scramble together enough money for the championship tournament pot, his neglected health takes a turn for the worse. Not to worry though, it is just a common cold, right? Hiatus/Abandoned
1. Chapter 1

_When Mako works himself to the bone to try to scramble together enough money for the championship tournament pot, his neglected health takes a turn for the worse. Not to worry though, it is just a common cold, right?_

 _Shameless Mako whump just for the hell of it. Set after ep 3 and before ep 4 but with a couple of details altered (such as adding in one more qualifying match) and an extended time period to give the poor guys at least the illusion of a chance to gather the money needed. Perhaps a faint touch of early Makorra if you squint really hard but mainly friendship/bro feels._

 _Brought to you by she who loves to torture brooding, stubborn, sexy protagonists that tend to be a tad bit too stoic for their own good, jepp it's another H/C fic with family/friendship feels…_

* * *

"Okay, that was the third time you cleared your throat in less than ten minutes," Bolin pointed out indiscreetly. He could just not stay quiet any longer, not when it was so obvious that something was not right with his bigger brother. He instantly got back up from the young girl standing next to him.

"Yeah, either you have something you really want to say but have no idea how to spit it out; or you have a sore throat. What is it, tough guy?" Korra demanded. Unlucky for her, Mako was in no mood to humour the dynamic duo. He just wanted to win the match ahead of them so he could go upstairs and sleep for two days straight. He had pulled double shifts at the power plant six days in a row now in a desperate attempt to gather the money needed for the tournament fee that was due to be paid soon. If he took on every shift from now to the time limit of payment and they won this game, the winnings and the cash he had scrambled together by busting his ass at the power plant. Together with the addition of a loan, provided he could find someone willing to lend him the money, perhaps by offering a small share of the price money, would just about cover it, and they would be able to enter. He was well aware that there were a lot of 'ifs' and massive holes in his plan, but it was the best he had.

"It's nothing, I'm fine. Get that helmet on and focus on the match that is about to start," he said dismissively and put his own helmet on, turning away from his teammates in a clear sign that the conversation was over. Korra, however, was far from finished. Well knowing how stubborn the older brother could be, she gave a small signal to the younger of the two brothers behind Mako's back. Bolin frowned slightly and nodded in a silent agreement before promptly tackling his brother from behind.

Ignoring his brother's furious outburst and colourful cursing, he quickly grabbed Mako's wrists and bended them back behind him, holding him as still as possible so that Korra could get in close and remove his still unfastened helmet and reach in to touch the older brother's forehead with the base of her palm. Without letting it show, the stocky teen silently noted the amount of effort it took to hold Mako down, or rather, the lack of it; it really should not be that easy…

"What the hell guys, back off," Mako growled, more than slightly ticked off by the impromptu ambush and the blatant disregard of his protests.

"You feel warm, you shouldn't compete today," Korra noted as she withdrew her hand and Bolin let Mako go, but was only rewarded with an irritated snort as the amber eyed brother stood up straight again, rubbing his wrists and glaring at them both.

"Don't be ridiculous, I run naturally hot, ask Bolin. Don't need your pity. Do I really have to remind the both of you again that this is the last match before the championship tournament? If we don't win we don't qualify, so save it." Mako, now in an even worse mood, lectured the two younger teens before stepping out on the platform that led to the arena. It was time for the Fire ferrets to play their final qualifying match.

Korra and Bolin looked at each other, sighed and followed him, too late to back out now.

…

It soon became obvious that Mako was not his usual self that match. His movements were slower, more sluggish and had lost their controlled, precise edge, a fact that was quickly picked up by the other team. They mercilessly hammered the team captain of the Fire ferrets with every chance they got.

" _Ouch, that gotta hurt! Mako of the Fire ferrets takes another hit. I don't know what is up with the team captain today but something is definitely off and the Tiger Seal's is utilizing this to the max,"_ the commentator's voice rung out through the arena as Mako was pushed into the second zone and then quickly into zone three, getting knocked down by a rock disk to his chest.

Bolin, now more than a little worried, moved in front of his brother to give him a chance to get up of the floor and catch his breath while Korra focused on drawing the enemy team's attention to her by firing of quick, explosive combinations towards the two enemies closest to the brothers.

"You all right bro?" The young earth bender shouted while blocking the steady stream of incoming attacks.

"Yeah, I'm fine, focus!" Mako yelled back as he picked himself of the ground and quickly moved into battle position again while Korra pushed through the Tiger seal's defense by sending a powerful burst of water towards the opponent in front of her. Bull's eye, the hit to the chest knocked him down on his ass and slid him all the way into the third zone of the ring.

That hit became the turning point for the Fire ferrets. Mako moved into defense, letting Bolin and Korra handle the team's offence for the movement, a strategy that quickly paid off and pushed the remaining Tiger seals opponents into the second zone. They moved forward into enemy territory and when Korra got in another hit on the player teetering in the third zone and knocked him off the ring she allowed herself a victory smirk and a glance to see how Mako and Bolin was faring. Even if they were at a stalemate at the moment, they held their ground and it was the bell that broke the match, signalling that the Fire ferrets had won the first round.

…

The second round yielded a similar result: It started off slower with neither team unable to push the other backwards but both teams, eager to score, progressively picked up the pace. While Mako had given up most of the offensive and focused on backing up Korra and Bolin, he still managed to get in an opening towards the end, and with a round house kick he knocked his opponent backwards one zone.

" _Finally! After a very even beginning of the round, we finally have some movement folks! Kala of the Tiger seals moved backwards into zone two and the heat is rising with the ticking clock. Will the Tiger seals manage to push the Fire ferrets back or will the second round go to the Fire ferrets?!"_

Bolin quickly gave the answer to that question, focusing on the waterbender that had been pushed into the second zone he prepped her with continues attacks and slowly pressured her even further back. She dodged as best as she could but slowly lost ground and when Korra got in a head shot she spun around and landed on her side, the impact sending her all the way across the third zone and into the water with a surprised yelp.

Either team had moved beyond that when the bell signalled the end of the second round and the second win for the Fire ferrets.

…

Just as the third round were about to start Mako felt a familiar tingling feeling in the back of his throat and tightening of his chest, 'no no no, shit shit not now' he panicked and tried to clear his throat to get rid of the scratching but was unable to subdue the small cough slipping through his lips. It instantly alarmed his team mates, alerted the enemy team and quickly developed into a full-fledged coughing fit.

" _OOOOH NOO, look at that folks. I think this is the answer to why the Fire ferrets team captain Mako has taken a backstep this game: trust me on this one fellas, probending, is a very_ very _physical sport if that was not obvious to anyone, and competing while ill must be rough. I wonder what the Fire ferrets will do now? They have won the last two rounds and will win the match if the Tiger seals can't pull of a knock out in the last round."_

The referee, who had been just about to ring the bell to start the third and final round stopped and looked awkwardly at the young firebender who struggled to get his breathing under control.

"Uh, how are you doing kid, want to sit this one out?" He asked once Mako had stopped coughing but Mako just shook his head and told him he was fine, ignoring the glares from Bolin and Korra and moving into battle position again.

…

" _Here are your winnings from the last game guys, congratulations." The bald man nodded and smiled at the three teens before handing Mako the bundle of yuans, and then took it back in small chunks as he rattled off the long list of money they owed him. Mako looked more and more deflated throughout the process and when Butakha reached for the last of the cash with the offhanded comment about personal loans for groceries, Mako sent a sidelong, grumpy glance at his younger brother who defended himself in a high pitched voice that he was still growing._

" _Now, I know you still have one more game to play before you qualify, but I was just going to give you a heads up for if you do manage to qualify for the championship. Each team has to chip in 30 000 yuans to the pot. You have until the end of next week to come up with the dough or else you are out of the tournament." Then he stops, sighs and puts a hand on Mako's shoulder, well knowing that the team were completely struck for cash. "Sorry kids, maybe next year?"_

…

'No, no way, there is no next year, I cannot keep living like this for another year, taking every back breaking job I can find, not knowing if I can pay rent that month and keep Bolin fed at the same time. We _will_ qualify and nothing will stop us, definitely not a stupid cold,' Mako thought to himself as he straightened out, removed the hand covering his mouth and nodded to the judge to continue the game.

" _I have to give it to him, even after being given the opportunity to sit the last round out and let his team members compete with one player down, Mako still wants to fight and now the third round is finally ready to begin,"_ the commentator's voice sung out, almost paralleling the sounding of the bell signalling the start of the third round.

His determination could only take him so far though. The persistent head ache he had conveniently failed to mention to Bolin and Korra was hammering his temples from within and when he jumped to deliver a low kick flame, the whole arena suddenly spun around. He landed clumsily and took one stumbling step to the side to regain his balance but was thrown off guard by a water burst knocking him backwards. The Tiger seals refocused their united efforts on him and sent a double water and earth combo towards him while still in the air. With him knocked off balance, the rock disk, aimed at his stomach accidentally got his temple instead, creating a dent and a small crack in his helmet and pushing him all the way from the first zone to the cold water beneath.

"Mako!" both Korra and Bolin shouted worriedly but there was nothing they could do, only listen to the commentator's retelling of the fall and hope he was okay despite the blow to the head.

" _AAAAAND theeere Mako takes a plunge. I don't think anyone was surprised by that development. He does not seem to get up though, was he knocked out completely? No wait, now he is moving. It is up to his team mates now to hold down the fort. All they have to do is avoid getting knocked off the ring and the victory is theirs."_

Bolin jumped at that and could not help but throw a glance towards the end of the game field, as if he hoped the amber eyed firebender would come waltzing in any moment but that quick glance cost him dearly. The Tiger seal's earthbender noted his opponent's momentarily uncertainty and sent three disks swirling rapidly towards Bolin, pushing him deep into the third zone.

Korra kept her head cool and focused on going head to head with the Tiger seal's firebender and while they battled it out Bolin focused on holding his ground despite being heavily bombarded with both water and rocks hammering down on him relentlessly.

Either teams had managed to advance further when the bell rung. The Tiger seals won the last round but as they scored the two previous rounds, the match went to the Fire ferrets, securing them the longed for spot in the championship tournament. Korra and Bolin shouted excitedly, and waiting for them at the edge of the arena Mako threw his fists in the air and let out a series of unrestrained howls of pure joy, allowing himself to fully rejoice in the unbelievable development. They had made it! They had secured their spot despite everything that had happened. He had almost lost hope completely when Hasoock had abandoned them and he had not trusted Korra to come through, but she had and they had made it all the way to the tournament.

Things were finally looking up for them.


	2. Chapter 2

_Oupps. Forgot the disclaimer in the last chapter: of course I don't own LOK or anything related._

* * *

"Aoow, what are you doing Korra?" Mako winched grumpily when the olive skinned girl moved to help him remove his helmet. They had made it to the pregame room behind the ring after their victory and he was currently trying to get the stupid thing off but the sizable dent from the earlier blow had wedged the helmet closer to his head and complicated the process. Not to talk about the blood from the thin cut underneath the cracked helmet that had started to coagulate, effectively gluing the damned thing to his black mop of hair.

"What does it look like? Helping you of course," she answered before continuing to pull, admittedly with slightly more force than strictly necessary. The surge of satisfaction from hearing him wince when she yanked the helmet of his head, taking with it a few strands of hair, was well worth having to listen to the small voice inside whining about her being too rough. He deserved it after pulling a stunt like that on them.

"You should have been honest with us about how crap you actually felt before the game," she continued while examining the thin cut the cracked helmet had left. As with all head wounds it had bled freely, but already stopped and seemed fairly shallow, he would not have to worry about concussion on top of everything else.

"It is just a small cold, nothing to worry about," he eventually admitted gruelingly, but had the decency to blush in embarrassment when he accidentally locked eyes with his little brother who glared back at him with all sorts of allegations glimmering in his emerald green eyes. He was clearly furious, and rightfully so Mako had to admit. He avoided his brother's glare and instead busied himself with removing his hand pads and looking down on his lap, on Pabo, on the game in front of them or anywhere really except for into the eyes of his little brother and the wordless accusations reflected there. "Does not matter anyway, we won, we qualified. We are in the championship tournament!" He continued, desperately trying to steer the conversation away from himself. Truth to be told, he _was_ excited. They had finally made it. Now if he could just conjure up the money needed, they could actually compete! He could feel another cough building up as well but held it back by pure will, he was not about to give the others more ammo than they already had. Then he was quickly yanked back from his thoughts by the avatar once again pulling his hair, hard, to have a closer look at the cut.

"Hey stop it, leave me alone," he protested sulkily, pulling away from her and lifting a hand to his temple, cautiously feeling around the cut and the sticky, half dried blood.

"Nope, not gonna happen," the younger girl muttered and began to bend water from the basin next to them. First he assumed she was just going to do him a favour and clean the wound but soon it started hurting a lot less and within a minute all what was left of the evidence of his humiliation was the dented helmet and a bit of crusted blood stuck in his hair.

"Uh… Thanks? Did you just heal me?" He asked in confusion and finally the younger water tribe girl lit up.

"Sure did, I am a waterbender remember? I only happened to have the greatest healer in all the nations, Sifu Katara, teaching me waterbending. Of course I picked up a thing or two," she explained, grinning happily.

"That… is really cool. Thanks Korra." He smiled back, a half crooked smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"Now back to the original issue, how long have you been sick?" She asked demandingly. Clearly not budging until she received a satisfying answer, and seeing her don that look of determination as he had come to recognize as her 'stubborn face', he sighed and caved.

"Really, it is not that bad at all, just a sore throat and a head ache and only since yesterday, I promise. A couple of the guys at work were coughing the last few days and did not turn up for their usual shifts yesterday," he explained.

"Oh, no. Don't think that you can just waltz in here and smile and come up with that lame ass excuse and think that we are okay. You had me really worried out there big bro." Bolin interrupted, frowning and with jaw tightly clenched in frustration, clearly looking to pick a fight.

Mako sighed; he knew he had it coming. Bolin had never been one to hold in his feelings, thoughts or, well anything at all for that matter. Korra, easily detecting the tension in the air decided that was her cue to leave, the brothers could work it out between the two of them.

"See you tomorrow at practice Bolin, Mako you are sitting that one out," she chirped before taking her leave.

The brothers both mumbled a quick good bye before turning back towards each other.

"Listen bro, I'm sorry, but…" was the last she heard before closing the door behind them. She had to get back home. She had an early rise tomorrow with a day filled with airbending practice.

…

"Korra, are you awake?" A muffled voice rang out, quickly followed by someone knocking on her door.

"Korra?"

"Please Korra wake up," more knocking followed, harder this time.

Still more half asleep than in the real world, Korra was pulled back into reality by Bolin's frantic knocking and calling out for her in something that could be best described as a yelling whisper, the stocky teen trying his best not to wake the rest of the household.

Quickly realizing the energetic teen would not give up she sighed and rose to the door, still in her night dressing, and sluggishly opened the door to find a frantic Bolin bouncing up and down in the hallway and a sleepy Pema next to him, she must have let him into the temple.

"Bolin? Why? What?" Eloquence be damned, it was far too early for that sort of crap.

Noting she was not fully dressed, a flush quickly covered round cheeks and emerald green eyes fell to the floor before he turned around and started rambling. "I am so so sorry Korra, I did not mean to wake you up, please. I just did not know where else to go, I mean you can do your water bending cool thing and I thought."

"Hold it, Bolin, start over and explain. Why on earth are you here…" She glanced out the window and looked back bewildered. "Before the _sun_ is up?" She asked, this better be good or else….

Her words had the desired effect. He calmed down and began anew. "It's Mako. He is worse. I have been watching over him all night. I don't know, I thought maybe I should take him to see a healer, but then… I don't think he can walk, and... eh… I don't really have the money and then I thought about you and the way you healed his head yesterday and I thought… if you could, you know, please help him?"

Korra, still pretty disoriented from being dragged up out of bed before even the roosters were up, could only stare at the younger of the two brothers for a second. Raking a hand through her messy brown locks she tried to collect her thoughts and pull some sort of sense from the rambling teen.

"Mako is worse? How worse? When I saw him yesterday I thought he just had a mild fever and a cough?" Not something to ignore but hardly worth storming Air Temple Island with the first ferry of the day for. "I'll come with you Bo, but I am sorry, waterbending can't heal a cold." She explained and the small, desperate glimmer of hope that had shimmered in his eyes when she opened the door quickly faltered.

"Oh… It can't?" The happy go lucky teenager looked devastated for a moment, though then he composed himself once more and explained what had happened since they had split up last night.

"... Korra I don't know what to do… yeah, yesterday he did not seem so bad. But during the night his fever got higher and the cough got worse, a lot worse. I tried to feed him some dinner before we went to bed and by midnight he was puking nonstop. Now he won't even hold down water and is not really responding when I talk to him. Something is wrong with him and I don't know what it is. Mako never gets sick," he finished. Having gone from high pitched rambling to voice quickly dying out into a mumble during the last sentence he was looking close to tears. Seeing his obvious distress, Korra took a moment to comfort the younger team member by putting a hand on his shoulder and squeezing it reassuringly.

"Don't worry Bolin, we'll figure it out, just because you can't heal a cold with waterbending doesn't mean you can't do anything. Let me just throw my clothes on and we'll get going straight away. Pema, can you please explain to Tenzin what happened and say I am sorry, but I probably won't be coming to practice today?"

Pema, the ever stable matron, simply nodded. "You go dear. And if there is anything we can do, just let us know. If it is better, you can bring him here and we can all take turns caring for him," she offered.

"Thank you Pema, but I don't want you or the kids to get sick, especially not with the new baby on the way. I'll let you know what happens," Korra finished and hugged the older woman before heading back in to throw on her usual gear and head out.


	3. Chapter 3

When they climbed the ladder to Mako's sleeping alcove, it was the smell that welcomed them first. It was the pungent, invading stench of illness: sweat and vomit mixed into an unholy blend, and Korra had to fight hard not to wrinkle her nose at the offending odour. Squinting into the darkness she could faintly make out a small desk littered with notes on gaming strategies and a dog-eared probending rulebook, a stool next to it and a single bed. Everything pushed to the window to create a small pathway between the furniture and the thin dark sheet hung up to shield the alcove from the living room downstairs. As her eyes adjusted to the slightly darker 'room' she noticed a figure lying on top of the bed in only his boxers, blankets kicked off and his tank top on the floor. Next to the bed stood a bowl of water with a rag in it as well as a rusty old bucket.

"Hey, big bro, you awake? It's me, I brought Korra back, thought maybe she could help." Bolin chatted away, adopting a false sense of normality in a vain effort to try to make it sound like inviting girls to his brother's room while he was sick as a dog was something he did every second day. He pulled the curtains away to reveal the dawning light and the neon lights of the city and opened the window to let some air in, and some of the stench out, before walking over to his brother to see if he was awake or not.

Korra walked over to the older of the brothers and tried to shake his shoulder. To no avail, no reaction evident in the figure sprawled out on the bed, his breathing laboured and frowning in his sleep and Korra briefly wondered if it was from the fever or a dream. She tried again, shaking him harder this time before moving up to check his temperature. When the back of her palm touched his sweaty forehead he finally roused, slightly.

"Hey Mako. It is me, Korra. Can you hear me? How are you feeling?"

"Korra?" He rasped out groggily and she winched to herself when she heard the hoarseness in his voice. "What? What are you doing here? You should not be here. Where is Bolin?" He turned around to look at her, eyelids still half closed, and her stomach turned when she saw him in in the dimmed light of dawn. Beside the two crimson fever roses on his cheekbones and the dark circles under his eye, his skin was ashen and his dark hair plastered to his forehead by a thin sheet of perspiration. How could he have gotten so much worse over night? When she waved goodbye to the brothers last night he seemed mostly fine.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when he tried to weakly push away her hand, but the younger water tribe girl was having none off it. She moved the hand back again to confirm what she already knew, felt his cheek and his pulse and then picked up the bowl of water and rag on the floor, surely left there by Bolin when he went looking for her.

When his brother asked for him, Bolin happily spoke up, pretending he was not worried the older brother had not noticed him straight away, "Hey Mako, I'm here. I brought Korra, thought she might be able to help with some of her awesome waterbending stuff."

Mako looked over to the end of the bed where Bolin had positioned himself. "You shouldn't have brought her. What if she?" He did not get any further in his reasoning before curling up into a harsh coughing fit that wrecked his pale frame.

Spirits that did not sound good.

Korra rubbed his back in the hope it would help his breathing while asking Bolin to empty the bucket, bring fresh water and a clean rag and then returned her focus to the figure on the bed.

"Nope. I'm here too and we are not going anywhere. Bolin woke me up in the middle of the night because he was so frickin worried about you. Are you telling me that it was the wrong thing to do? Because if I find out that I was dragged out from my warm cosy bed to care for an ungrateful prick of a firebender then I simply cannot take responsibility for the consequences," she chastised him, trying to gage his current state. He seemed fairly coherent but clearly not up for their usual bickering. The efforts to rouse him fell flat as the young man in bed simply closed his eyes and shifted in bed to face the wall again in the childish hope that if he ignored the annoying girl long enough, then she would eventually disappear.

"I just want to sleep," he muttered tiredly.

"Come on Mako; work with me here, where does it hurt?" She asked, first thing first. She had to get a decent overview of his current state before she could start taking proper action. After a few moments of impatient waiting she finally got a proper response.

"Everything aches, dizzy, throat and head hurts, it feels like I can barely breathe because my chest is so tight and my stomach is pretty determined to flip itself inside out," he eventually offered, sighing in resignation.

"You kinda failed to mention the body ache or that you are feeling dizzy before bro," Bolin commented dryly. His voice laced with more than just a hint of accusation as he walked back into the room, bowl and bucket in one hand and a glass of water in the other.

"Didn't think it was important, it is just the flu." Mako rasped out before coughing again and sat up to accept the glass of water his brother offered him. As he sat up he looked down on himself and seemed for the first time to realise that he had at some point stripped down to his underwear and that Korra was sitting right next to him. Desperately trying to subdue the blush creeping up on his cheeks he scrambled to pull the thin blanket over him so as the very least his lower body was concealed. He would have felt much more comfortable wearing something to cover his chest but he must have pulled his top off at some point during the night and while he soon spotted it, he could not reach it from his current position. What was even worse was that Korra followed his glance and quickly seemed to pick up on his conundrum.

He really could not catch a break could he?

Smirking mischievously she picked the tank top up and held it up in the air for a second before deciding to have mercy on him and toss him the worn piece of clothing so he could throw it over himself quickly.

At least he had a bit more colour on his cheeks now, small victories.

Once Mako got his top on he accepted the glass and sipped cautiously on it for a moment, grading the need for hydration against the painful churning in his stomach. He could not remember when, or if, he had ever felt this miserable before, and to top it off, Bolin just had to invite Korra to watch his humiliation up close. Fine, he knew she was a healer, and he could see Bolin's reasoning. It probably did not help that, from what he could remember, he had been pretty sick last night. His brother was probably worried half to death, and if he were to be completely honest, if faced with the reverse, he would undoubtedly have done the same. She had proven to be a worthy team member and reliable friend when the two of them rescued Bolin from Amon, but honestly, all he wanted was to sleep for a week straight. Being thoroughly scrutinized by the water tribe girl with the piercing cerulean eyes was not exactly high on his list of desirable scenarios at this particular point in time.

He had barely gotten half of the glass down before it turned on him. 'Oh spirits, no, not now, not in front of her,' he panicked but the spirits had no mercy on him today.

Frankly, when had they ever?

He clamped his mouth shut with one hand and desperately searched for the bucket. The others noted how quickly the little bit of colour previously gathered on his cheeks drained and how his skin turned sickly green and before he had to ask, Korra grabbed the glass out of his hand while Bolin rushed to put the bucket in front of him. He clutched the bucket with both hands and leaned forward, only vaguely aware that he was being supported on both sides by his team mates and someone soothingly rubbed their hands over his back, Bolin, he hoped. Once his stomach finally settled after a few minutes of violent retching, nothing more coming up than water and stinking, acidic bile, he took a deep shuddering breath and slumped back in bed, exhaustion sweeping over him with unexpected force. His throat burned, his mouth tasted like death and despair, his stomach churned and rolled painfully and he could not stop shaking. Oh man, was he over this flu already.

"I can't believe this is happening right now," he groaned in frustration once he got enough control of his vocal cords to speak again and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before gingerly rinsing his mouth with a few sips of water and spitting it back out into the disgusting bucket.

"Actually, I can believe it very much bro. I told you that you can't keep pulling double shifts at the power plant and crash in bed for a couple of hours of sleep before taking on practice early in the morning and then head straight back to work to start all over again."

"Is that what you have been doing all week? No wonder you seemed tired at practice."

Hearing the accusing tone in both their voices, Mako automatically went into offence mode; the whole 'acting all high and mighty routine' they had so easily adopted as of late was getting old pretty quickly.

"Knock it off. What else should I have done? We had to get the money somehow and I could not exactly rely on Pabo's circus tricks or the Triple Threat's generous assistance now could I?" He shot back. Though he immediately regretted the low blow when his little brother visibly deflated, broad shoulders slouching and innocent face falling. Sighing, he raked a tired hand through damp dark locks and tried to reconcile, "Sorry Bo, I didn't…"

"Yeah you did but it's all right, you are right. Fact is though, you can't keep doing everything yourself, evidently so…" Bolin said pointedly and nodded at the bed.

Feeling it was time to interrupt the awkward tensions in the air, Korra cleared her throat: "So erhm, I am sorry, but waterbending healing does not work on colds. The pharmacy should open in a couple of hours, so as soon as they do, I'll head out to get some medicine for the fever, and in the meantime I think the best thing is for you rest."

Mako nodded, grateful for the distraction he slumped lower back into bed and pulled the blanket up higher. He coughed into his pillow and groaned, he could not help it, he felt so ridiculously miserable. Wanting nothing more than sleep, he closed his eyes and was soon dozing off again.

The other two climbed the ladder to the living area and Bolin hugged Korra earnestly before letting her go and facing her.

"Thank you for coming Korra, I am not very good with this, and really, he is never sick, I can't even remember the last time, he always takes care of me, and I…"

"It's okay Bolin. Of course I'll help, and we'll get him better in no time."


	4. Chapter 4

When she came back from the pharmacy she was met by an upset Bolin in the attic hatch and four short words that instantly dropped her stomach into a dark pit of dread.

"He is worse again."

She dumped the aspirin on the ground and quickly climbed up to his room where she found the firebender sleeping on the bed. Though rather than finding him in the relaxed state she left him in, he tossed and turned restlessly, sweating and violently shivering. He was frowning deeply with closed eyes and muttered nonsense in between ragged breaths.

Bolin went back to his brother's side and picked up the cloth he had been using to wipe the sweat of Mako with to resume dabbing his forehead again and Korra followed. She checked his temperature and withdrew when she felt the heat radiating from the young man. His skin was so scoldingly warm it almost burned her hand.

"We have to lower his temperature, it is out of control. Katara told me that firebenders rarely get fevers, but when they do, they are easily running the risk of getting far too hot and you should do everything you can to reduce the fever rather than waiting for it to break by itself. You don't have a bathtub we can use to submerge him in do you?"

"No, just a small shower, I'll carry him in," Bolin answered and made quick promise of his words by hoisting the taller brother up on his shoulder, carrying him downstairs and leading them to the bathroom.

Once they entered the minute space she nodded for him to put his trembling brother down on the shower floor. No use bothering stripping him, she could always waterbend the water out of his clothes and hair when they were done. Once the older brother was in position, Korra asked Bolin to change the damp sheets now that they had the chance and he quickly obeyed before coming back to sit down again just outside the shower. In the mean time she turned the water on, making sure it was the right temperature, a little bit lower than lukewarm but not cold enough to make him chilled, unless of course he was already burning. What for her and Bolin felt nice and cool as it trickled down made Mako jump and curl up into a ball for warmth, arms crossed over his chest and legs pulled up close to his upper body, teeth clattering miserably.

After sitting in the shower for what felt like hours he finally opened his eyes, tiredly blinking a few times to focus and gather his bearings. He was still too warm and while the shivers had yet to completely subside, they were at least not as violent anymore. He coughed into his elbow and leaned his head back on the wet wall behind him.

Judging that they had stayed in the shower long enough, she nodded to Bolin who stood up and made a notion of picking Mako up but the older shook his head and started getting up by himself so Bolin simply offered a hand. Once they were both standing he threw Mako's arm over his shoulder and put his own around his brother's waist to support him. When they stepped out of the shower Korra bent the three of them dry, making Bolin chirp in excitement and offer a lame joke noting that she was really handy to have around, who needs towels when you have a Korra amiright?

Quickly deciding it was not worth keep getting Mako up and down the ladder to his sleeping alcove, Bolin grabbed his mattress and they made an improvised bed on the living room floor instead. Then he eased his brother down on his bed while Korra went back to the hatch to retrieve the medicine she had ditched before. She measured the right dose, trying her best not to wrinkle her nose at the artificial, sickeningly sweet smell, and gave him the small cup to drink. He accepted it but just held it in his hands for a moment, looking up at the other two.

"Bolin, you should really not get that close to me, and Korra, you should not be here at all," he tried to reason. Whatever it was, he'd hate to pass it onto his brother or Korra.

"Come on bro, like that would happen," Bolin brushed away his protest, but then he turned to Korra. "Though, he does have a point in your case. I am sorry I did not think about that when I asked you to come here," he continued regrettfully. Not that it faced Korra the slightest.

"Told you, Katara taught me healing; don't you think I saw a ton of sick people when I was training with her? I'm not going to bail on you that easily. Sure I am nowhere near as great as she is, but I know the basics at least." She swatted away the brothers' objections before turning her attention to the aspirin again, remaining silent she nodding pointedly at the cup in Mako's hand.

He looked back down on the cup, grimaced and hesitated, no doubt contemplating what it would cost him and seemed to make a notion of putting the cup down on the floor.

"Na'ah, come on Mako, don't be a baby, just drink it," she teased. Knowing well how hard it must be for him, but also that he really needed to get his fever down, if not completely then at least to a more reasonable temperature. If she had to pull the kiddy card on him, so be it.

The quip earned her a scowl and a glare: "I'm not a baby."

Bolin laughed.

He could not help it, if it was something he had quickly come to like about Korra then it would definitely be her effortless ability to get under his brother's skin and push his buttons. Then he quickly looked down on the floor and tried to cover up the laugh with a fake cough when Mako extended the glare to include him too. Though he could not completely stop the corners of his mouth from keep pointing upwards, especially not when he peeked over at Korra and noticed her glancing back at him, looking extremely smug.

With one last scowl Mako decided the best course of action would be to simply ignore his tormentors and turned his attention to the cupful of foul liquid again. He brought the cup back up to his lips, closed his eyes and swallowed it down quickly, cringing slightly, before rinsing it down with a few sips of water. He then slumped down into a lying position on the bed again and coughed weakly, silently praying to whoever would listen that the horrific solution would not make a return visit within a few minutes and that the room would stop spinning soon.

He did not have that kind of luck.

Not long after he had slumped back into bed he could feel the nausea return, stomach rolling and mouth salivating and he quickly grabbed the bucket, clutching the edge with both hands and gagged again. Once he was certain his stomach would not flip over anymore, at least not for now, he put the bucket down on the floor and gratefully accepted the glass of water his brother offered him, repeating the process of rinsing, spitting and wiping before slumping back into bad. Amber eyes closed almost immediately and soon they could see the even rising and sinking of his chest signalling that he had once again fallen asleep.

Once Korra and Bolin were sure he was sleeping soundly, Korra wiped the sweat of his chest and forehead with a clean wet rag and left it to rest there to cool him down, before turning to the youngest member of the group to brief him on her thoughts in a whispering tone.

"Bolin, if we can't get the medicine into him and his fever does not break, I think we have to take him to the hospital, the biggest worry is dehydration. I'll do what I can, if needed I'll waterbend a few drops into him at the time, but at the hospital they have IV, which would help him heaps."

"Yes, but… I don't have any money."

"We'll borrow some from Tenzin if it comes to that," she ensured. "Or, what about the money Mako made at the power plant?"

"Na, he told me they get paid weekly and not daily. I think he should get paid tomorrow…"

"Well, why don't we pay a visit to the power plant then and pick up his pay check?" She suggested and Bolin agreed, though interjecting that he did not want to leave his brother alone so she should stay because he did not think they would mind handing the pay check to Mako's brother so he thought it would be better if he went. Korra agreed and smiled as he left to see if he could coax them into giving him his brother's money a day early. She could not help but think that it was a rare talent to be able to squeeze all that information into one, at least fairly cohesive sentence.

…

"Hey kid, don't just stand there like an idiot. Whatchya want?" The big, gruffly old man in the office looked up and growled at him when Bolin awkwardly stumbled in.

"Eh, I asked the guard at the door and he directed me here, said this is where you pick up the pay checks? I am Bolin, Mako's brother and I was wondering if I could pick his up now?"

"Mako? The firebending, probender? You're his brother huh? I've seen you play, you're pretty good."

"Uh, thanks, but… could I please pick up his pay check?"

"Firstly, no. Secondly, no. Thirdly, no. It's not payday until tomorrow and he can come in and pick it up himself then. And tell him to get his ass back to work; otherwise there might be none when he finally decides to honour us with his presence."

"But, but, you don't understand, he is not well and I need the money to take him to the hospital."

"Not well? huh… he is not the first…" The words called forward a warning bell in the back of Bolin's mind and his stomach flipped over in worry. He remembered Mako telling him and Korra that a few of the guys at work were coughing and did not show up to work the day after…

"Eh, so sorry to bother you again, mister big gruffy scary old man, but… what do you mean?"

"We have had a few guys getting sick at work this week and… last I heard, all of them pretty bad. Two actually passed away yesterday."

Bolin's stomach went from flipping nervously to plummeting straight into a black pit: Passed away? And they gave whatever it was to Mako? No no no… it could not be… he had to get home, now! But not before getting what he came for…

"Please, I need to take him to the hospital; can I please have his pay check?" Hearing the desperation in the young teen's voice the grey haired old man looked up from his papers with pity in his eyes.

"Sorry kid can't help you, we don't actually get the money from the bank until the day of distribution, come back tomorrow and I'll see what I can do, usually we don't allow someone else to pick up the cash but I'll make sure to help you," he explained and returned to the papers on his desk and Bolin nodded, turning around and running all the way home. His heart pounding in his chest and a he had horrible, sickening feeling in his stomach, Mako had to be okay. He just had to.

 _AN: next up, we'll finally get an answer to what it is wrong with the dorky firebender._


	5. Chapter 5

_I think I jinxed myself with this fic. I've had a sore throat and headache for days now. Oh that's right, autumn is here… yippie._

* * *

When Bolin came storming into the apartment, only to find Mako sleeping soundly, a wet rag donning his forehead and Korra watching over him from the couch, he simply plonked down on the floor, a wheezing, panting pile of relief and pure exhaustion.

"Sssh, he is sleeping. What in the name of all the spirits are you doing?" Korra lectured him in a whisper but Bolin did not answer, he just picked himself up off the floor and nodded to the kitchen area where they could talk without fear of waking Mako up, signalling her to follow him. Just as they were about to leave they heard a strangled cry from the mattress, followed by a panicked: "Bo?"

"Yeah, I'm here, it's okay," Bolin ensured as he walked over to his brother and grabbed his flailing hand.

Mako was dreaming again, no scratch that, he was having a full on fever induced nightmare. He started tossing and turning in bed, sweat glistening on his forehead and chest as he moved with erratic frenzy. Mumbling sporadic words to no one, though this time rather than being random syllables put together, they were clear enough for the others to make out:

"No… Bo… gone… don't, don't hurt him. Please please. 's taken, can't find him… lil' brother, c can't lose. Please don't," he rasped out in panic between muffled sobs.

It did not come as much of a surprise for Korra to learn that he was dreaming of Amon's recent kidnapping of his little brother, even if he did not show it, the terrifying event must still be on his mind, but that did not make it any less heartbreaking to watch. Strong, cynical, jerkish, always distanced and grumpy Mako was now sitting up in bed with his brother's arms wrapped around him in a tight grip, staring into nothing with unseeing eyes dulled from fever. Then he seemed to realise where he were and looked down on his brother that still held him close, silently reassuring him that he was okay, that they were both okay. Mako bent his head down low into his brother's shoulder and took deep shuddering breaths, his whole body shaking in relief.

Korra had a distinct feeling she was not supposed to be there, peeking into a moment too private for an outsider to observe but she was not sure that she could leave without drawing attention to herself again. As silently as she could, she moved over to the improvised kitchen area, trying to give the brothers as much privacy as she was able in the single room. Seeing the two brothers in such an intimate situation brought forward a memory from a few days ago, of when she had asked Mako about their parents. He had trusted her then, letting her see a side of himself that she was pretty sure he very rarely offered anyone. It had only been a small glimpse but it had been enough for her to gain a deeper understanding of the bond the two brothers' shared.

Bolin raised his head higher so that his chin rested on Mako's head and held him still, standing guard while the terrors of his brother's mind slowly eased into nothingness. He could not stop the nightmares, but he could be there to help ride them out whenever they returned.

Mako might be the bigger brother, the protector, family and friend, but Bolin was what kept Mako sane. Bolin was what kept him going through freezing, sleepless nights, exhaustion and endless starvation. The earthbender's innocence and happy go lucky attitude balanced the cynical realist and had more than once brought him back from the tip of the edge. If it had been only him, he would have given up a long time ago. Bolin was his anchor, always there to stop him from drifting too far away into strange territories and down the wrong paths when he found he was unable to do so himself.

When Mako finally calmed down and lay down in bed again, Bolin pulled the blanket back over him and moved over to Korra.

She was not sure how to approach him. The image of the two brothers frantically holding on to each other, supporting each other, was too fresh to ignore, still burned in deep in her retina, but he solved her problem for her when he walked up to her.

"He sometimes gets pretty bad nightmares. I don't think he usually remembers them though," he clarified and looked the young waterbender straight in the eyes. With one simple c he offered her another glimpse into the lives of the two brothers, and with a second he let her know that he trusted her with this information and that she would keep it safe. Then he changed the subject and proceeded to explain that he came back empty handed and why. After all that, he took a deep breath and swallowed loudly before reiterating the most crucial part and Korra paled, suddenly her legs felt wobbly. She leaned against the wall and took a few deep breaths to control herself, then made a quick decision.

"We need to take him to the hospital, now."

"Yes, absolutely, you're right Korra. I totally agree, I agree like sooo much but… uh… still no money…"

"We'll just have to go to Tenzin, I'm sure he won't say no. I'll go and talk him now. If Mako wakes up try to make him drink some water, or even have some broth. I made some while you were away," she ordered, already half way out the window and Bolin could do nothing but wave goodbye to the force of nature that currently jumped out the window of their attic to plummet straight into the ocean below before resurfacing after a moment and gliding over to Air Temple Island.

…

Facing Tenzin proved to be harder than she had expected, not because he was being unreasonable or refusing to help, but rather the opposite: when she approached him, he enquired about her friend and offered to help with anything in his power, and with those few simple, empathic words, the river of worry that she had held pushed back since Bolin came knocking on her door earlier that morning suddenly threatened to overcome her completely. Taking a deep breath to force herself into a more composed state she looked up at the older man and asked if he could help her with money so that they could take Mako to the hospital, and when he nodded his agreeance, the banks simply burst. Tears rushed forward and she could barely get the words out to say 'thank you' for the raw lump in her throat.

Tenzin sighed and took the young girl in his arms.

"I know you are worried about your friend Korra, but he will be fine, of this I am certain. He is a strong young man and I am sure the doctors can figure out what is wrong with him. I cannot physically give you any money, for I have none. As an airbender I am sworn to own no earthly possessions and all my salary as a council member of the city goes straight to the temple for maintenance and the needs of those who live here, but we can ask the hospital to send the bill to the temple."

"Oh thank you so much Tenzin, thank you so much," she replied when she was sure she had her voice under control again and hugged the stoic old man even harder before letting go and wiping away the treacherous tears with her hand and wiping her nose with the back of her arm, pretending not to see Tenzin's disapproving stare at her uncouth behaviour. A snotty nose was the least of her worries right now. She needed to get back to Mako and Bolin and decided to take Naga this time instead of waterbending her way to the arena. Naga could help get Mako to the hospital.

…

Getting Mako up and ready to go to the hospital proved another challenge, but one she had anticipated. He was not trying to sabotage the operation, not exactly; he just did not have enough energy to be of much help. When they shook his shoulders gently to rouse him and inform him of their next course of action he groggily groaned and shifted to sit up again, rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hands and pinching the bridge of his nose in a vain attempt to reduce the pounding headache. He hoarsely protested that there was no need, all he wanted was to sleep, but was immediately shut down by the other two and frankly, he did not have the energy to argue. Bolin helped him get dressed and supported him the short walk to the attic hatch. However, getting downstairs proved trickier as the rickety old wooden stairs that led to the lower areas of the arena was only wide enough for one person and Mako could barely stand straight without swaying. Despite this, even though the idea of him descending a thin set of stairs without a railing to hold on to was completely out of the question, he still refused to be carried: he was not an invalid or a child.

Rolling her eyes, Korra muttered something barely audible about idiotic men and their stubborn pride but did not push the subject further.

Bolin had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop the grin that threatened to creep up on his face. He was only half successful.

They eventually compromised and walked downstairs in a process of three. Bolin first so that Mako could hold on to his brother's shoulders and he could take the brunt of Mako's weight if he were to stumble, and Korra last, hands on his shoulders to offer as much support as possible.

Once downstairs and outside, the trip itself turned out to be precisely as unpleasant as Mako had suspected when Korra first pitched the idea to the sick firebender. Even though the pace was slow, every gigantic, rolling step the large animal took intensified the vertigo and made his stomach churn painfully. Once he even had to ask Korra to halt Naga so he could step off and kneel on the cold cobblestone. One of his prouder moments for sure, reduced down on all four, shivering like leaf in the storm and dry heaving into the filthy gutter.

Once they finally made it to the hospital they were given a set of forms to fill in and directed to the waiting room. The nurse in the reception looked at the three teenagers with sympathy, gaze lingering on Mako for a moment. She took in his current state: how pale he were and how he, even though he tried as much as he could to carry his own weight, still had to lean on Bolin, and explained that she would try to get them to see a doctor as soon as possible but that it was probably going to be a few hours wait, at the very least. Upon entering the waiting room they quickly realised why: it was almost completely full. Everywhere they looked they could see people of all ages and cultures waiting on chairs or even sitting on the floor propped up against the walls. Korra could not help but notice that a lot of them were pale, sweating and coughing, just like Mako, and the knot in her stomach tightened.

Bolin and Korra eased the older brother down on the last available chair and he sighed in relief, closing his eyes and leaning his head back against the wall behind him, waiting for the dizziness to fade so he could sit upright without feeling like the room was tilting, and he with it. Then he shook his head and opened them again, coughed harshly into his elbow and sat up a little bit straighter while crossing his arms over his chest. He was not about to fall asleep in the waiting room at the hospital.

…

"Mako"

"…Mako?"

He groaned. If he kept his eyes shut, then perhaps the annoying voice would go away.

"Mako, you gotta wake up. It is your turn."

Sighing, he cracked one eye open. Korra, of course…

"Yeah, I'm awake," he rasped out and made a notion of standing up, wincing at how every muscle protested against the movement and how much it hurt his voice to talk, and coughed into his hand to clear his throat.

Once Mako, with Bolin's help, left to see the doctor, Korra resettled herself against her previous spot, leaning against the wall. She observed everybody in the room, seeing the nurses' rushed pacing back and forward in the corridors and took silent note of the people around her.

"Hey, I know you. You're the avatar!" A young voice pulled her out of her thoughts, looking down she found a scrawny boy with jet black hair and dark green eyes around Ikki's age curiously peering up at her.

"Hi there, yeah I am. I'm Korra, what's your name?"

"I'm Tuloo"

"Nice to meet you Tuloo,"

"Are you sick too?" he asked, looking a bit worried before coughing into his elbow. Like his mother had taught him.

"No, I am just here with a friend. Are you not feeling well?" She asked and the little boy shook his head before being interrupted by his mother who finally looked up from her lap and noticed the exchange. She grabbed him by the arm and apologized for her son bothering the Avatar. Korra replied gently that he was no bother at all and they left. Though not before Korra noticing that the mother herself was very pale, the hand holding on to her son's wrist were shaking and she too coughed into her elbow as they left to sit down and wait again.

…

Well in the doctor's office, the middle aged, balding man in the white coat nodded at the examination table and Mako sat down on the edge while Bolin hovered protectively next to him.

"So what can I help you with today?"

Mako sighed again, dryly noting that he had been doing that a lot lately, and threw a sidelong glance at his brother who just nodded back encouragingly. He raked his fingers through his hair before crossing his arms over his chest again in an attempt to hold the shivers at bay before offering the shortest, least embarrassing explanation he could muster up.

"Been feeling low for a few days, tired, sore throat and head ache, you know, just a cold but it got… uh… worse last night."

"Can you specify please, list the symptoms?"

"Nausea, coughing, chest pain, dizziness, sore throat, achy all over and I can barely keep my eyes open more than five minutes at a time."

"Mhm, and it started with a sore throat a few days ago you said?"

"Yes."

"Can you please take your jacket and shirt of for me? I want to examine you," The older man asked and Mako followed suit, dropping them next to him on the examination bed, trying to subdue the chills but spirits it was so _cold_ in the room. The doctor blew on his stethoscope to warm it up and pressed it firmly against Mako's sternum to listen to his heart, and then he moved it slightly and asked him to cough, repeating the procedure on different parts of his upper body, both chest and back. He checked his temperature, frowning slightly when he read the digits, and brought out a small club. He used the club to check his patient's reflexes before motioning for Mako to open his mouth so he could have a look at his throat. Mako endured the inspection without complaint, though he struggled when a wooden spatula was pushed in between his lips and his tongue was pressed downwards so the doctor could have a better look inside. It irritated his throat and brought on a coughing bout that temporally put the examination on hold and almost sent him gagging once more.

The doctor told him he could put his clothes back on and he gratefully threw his shirt and jacket on, at least they held the cold chill of the examination room at bay a little.

"Have you been in contact with someone ill in the last week or so?"

"Uh yeah, a few of the guys were coughing at work in the beginning of the week."

"You mentioned dizziness?"

"Yeah, it comes and goes but gets worse if I'm moving."

"And nausea?" The doctor pushed, noting very well how the tall teen hunched over slightly, one arm on the bed for support and the other wrapped around his midsection.

"Mm… stomach's killing me," Mako admitted.

"I am not completely sure but I have a decent idea of what might be wrong, mainly because you are the twenty seventh' person coming in this week with similar symptoms. I will have to take a throat swab to be certain. I am glad you came in when you did though; waiting longer would most likely just have worsened your condition. Most patients tend to assume it's the stomach flu and stays home too long," he explained and turned around to pick up a spatula and a tube.

"Yeah that's what I thought. It was Bolin and Korra that insisted that I came here," he nodded and opened his mouth again, waiting patiently while the doctor took a sample.

"I did not think it was a stomach bug," Bolin interrupted and turned to Mako. "I went to your job to see if I could cash out your pay check, in case you got worse. I only had a few yuans, enough to buy the medicine at the pharmacy but not enough to get you into hospital. When I got there the guy at the reception told me that a couple of your co-workers passed away yesterday," he continued.

It startled Mako and he turned to Bolin, amber eyes widening at the confession and the implications behind it before narrowing again, trying to assess his brother's expression. "What? You didn't tell…"

"No I didn't, I did not want to worry you, I just knew I had to get you here as soon as possible, but I still have no clue what is happening, what is wrong with him?!" Bolin burst out frantically, directing the last part to the doctor. He just could not keep himself calm and composed anymore. Seeing his brother get prodded and poked everywhere and seeing him so… worn out, resigned, only put more fire to his barely controlled panic.

"Well I cannot say for certain until the test results come back, but as I said, I have a pretty decent idea. Have you ever heard of Rheumatic fever?" Upon seeing the brothers' confusion he continued: "It's generally considered children's disease, known for a sudden onset of symptoms, though in rare cases it has been reported in older teens and young adults. Well I am not sure if you are aware but diseases evolve over time. As we find new vaccines to battle the most common illnesses, they evolve to find new hosts. We have only recently discovered a new type of Rheumatic fever, type B. It is a more aggressive version that attacks adults as well and I am afraid it is spreading through Republic City. It is spreads by air, for example by coughing. It is caused by a throat infection and causes inflammatory lesions in connecting tissue, mainly heart, joint and blood vessels, which is why you are having chest pains and aches everywhere.

The older man halted his explanation for a moment; he seemed to hesitate, to contemplate how to continue before putting a hand on Mako's shoulder in comfort. "Listen, young man, I am going to be honest with you. Rheumatic fever, especially type B is… not something to take lightly, survival chances are roughly fifty percent, mainly due to cardiac failure as a side effect. Though as I said before, it was good that you came in when you did. There is no known cure, only easing of symptoms such as administration of stronger medicine to reduce fever, inflammation of joints, and nausea. I will also put you on an IV as you are dehydrated, which no doubt is attributing to how you are feeling. Can you keep anything down at all?"

Mako just shook his head slightly and the older man nodded his understanding, "I suspected as much. I'll make sure the medication is administered via injections rather than orally, that way we can be sure you won't bring it up again. I'll admit you now."

Mako nodded absently, stepping back behind well-honed walls to try to clear out the jumbled mess this new information had rendered his thoughts. However, next to him Bolin showed no signs of willingly enduring the same restraint as his older brother.

"Tha, that is not okay, you can't just come in here and say stuff like that," he exploded.

"Bolin don't," Mako stopped him, grabbing his arm and looking him deep in the eyes. "Leave it" and the words had their desired effect, Bolin's temper faltered and his eyes softened.

"Fine, but…"

"Yeah I know."

 _AN: So now we know what is wrong with him. Rheumatic fever (the disease from which I have taken inspiration) was the leading cause of death in children and the leading cause of heart disease in adults in many areas of the world before penicillin became readily available in the 1940's. Today the disease is not nearly as devastating. Hooray for modern medicine._


	6. Chapter 6

When they left the examination room Mako, with Bolin's help, was led to another room for admitted patients by an older, grey haired nurse. As a cautionary measure for the risk of him being contagious as they were still waiting for test results, he had been given a room for himself. The nurse gave him an injection for the fever and another one for nausea and let him lay down on the thin bed before she inserted the IV, telling him to rest. An offer he gratefully accepted. He shifted to his side so that the cord from the IV would not pull and closed his eyes again. Come to think of it, setting aside the actual trip to the hospital, this had probably been the longest he had been awake since he got sick and he was exhausted.

Bolin left to reunite with Korra in the waiting room and gave her a quick, for Bolin at least, recap of what the doctor had told them. When he was finished he shifted on the spot, as if he could not find a comfortable stance, and looked down on his shoes.

"I feel so helpless", he blurted out after a moment's silence. "This is ridiculous, I mean… it hurts just to look at him. I know it must sound stupid to you, but… it's Mako for crying out loud. He is not supposed to…" the emerald eyed teen trailed off when the shorter girl threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. First he stiffened for a second, and then he leaned into her embrace, hugging her back. The desperation and fear clawing at his insides he had held back intensified, and with Korra's arms around him, he broke down. He hulked, sobbed and sniffed and she just stood there, letting him slobber salty tears and snot all over her shoulder until the he felt completely empty inside.

Only when the tears had subdued and the sobbing quieted down to the occasional sniff Korra finally let go.

"Hey, I know you didn't get any sleep last night. You must be exhausted, and I assume you, like me, haven't eaten anything all day. It is almost evening now. Let's find something to eat and then we'll go back to his room and sit there for a while before I take you home so you can sleep. How about it?"

"Yeah, sounds good. Thanks Korra."

Said and done, they hunted down some noodles from the hospital cafeteria, ate in silence and then went back to the room Mako had been allocated for the time being. Once they entered they found him sleeping soundly, not even stirring when they walked up to him. Bolin positioned himself next to his brother on an empty chair and Korra on his other side.

The stillness allowed Korra time to think and reflect on everything that had happened, especially what she had seen in the waiting room. While not everybody had seemed sick in the same way: among others she had noted a young man nursing a badly bruised leg and a pregnant lady who kept cradling her belly, perhaps half of the people she had seen in there seemed to be there for the same reason Mako was. This was of course just an observation; she could not be sure unless she saw each patient's charts, but if she was right. If Republic city were in the beginning of an outbreak of epidemic proportions, and Mako was just among the first. Then it could be safely assumed that the worst was yet to come…

She left the room to find a nurse to confirm her suspicions and it did not take very long to find a suitable target.

At first the nurse she grabbed kept dodging her questions and Korra read a great deal of apprehension in her eyes. While Korra hated to pull the Avatar card on the young woman she eventually ran out of options and had to resort to doing so, if it made her talk…

It most certainly did, the timid young woman in front of her stammered out one apology after the other and explained that they had been asked, for now, not to alarm the papers and let the public know. It was still early and no one were exactly sure how serious the outbreak was, or even if it was one in the first place. In the beginning of the week it had only been a couple of isolated incidents, that's when they had been asked to keep quiet, but people just kept coming in bigger numbers every day and they were not sure they could keep the secrecy up for much longer at this stage.

Korra stopped her then and asked who ordered the hospital staff to keep quiet and the answer almost physically hurt, it felt like she had been kicked in the stomach.

The city council.

Tenzin knew, he'd known all along.

…

When Korra returned she found Mako awake and occupied with listening to Bolin's retelling of the last minute of the match that he missed after being pushed into the drain. He was sitting up on the bed, legs crossed and looking a lot better overall, skin having regained some colour and eyes some of their former alertness. A small smile tugged the corners of his lips upwards slightly as Bolin's reiteration became increasingly more vivid and he added arm gestures to the story to illustrate how he, singlehandedly, held off the Tiger seals attacks.

"And then I dodged the water attack, like this, before, ah you gonna love this one! Before ricocheeting… rickochooting? Ah whatever, the earthbender's own disk back at him, baaam! Knocked him right down!"

"Pffft, yeah, and where were I in all of this? Polishing my nails?" Korra interrupted, making both boys jump and turn to her. "The way I remember it was that _I_ kicked the firebender's ass while _you_ barely stood upright against the other two." She continued, one eyebrow raised and a half smirk growing as she talked, indicating her amusement.

Bolin, clearly not expecting her to be back so soon flushed and stammered out a weak excuse that he didn't say he beat the firebender too, he always gave credit where credit was due. Then he regained some composure and beat back that he was indeed holding his ground just fine against the waterbender and earthbender, something Korra eventually went along with after some continued friendly banter.

After they had established a version of the match that they both agreed on, Korra turned to Mako with a relieved smile.

"It's good to see you up, feeling better?"

"Yeah, don't know what was in those meds, but they did the trick," he nodded and returned the smile.

They kept chatting for a couple of hours and when Mako gradually went more and more quiet and his eyelids started to drop, they convinced him to lay down. Not long after that he was out cold again and Korra turned to Bolin.

"Time to head home? I'll give you a lift," she offered but he shook his head.

"Na, thanks but I think I'll stay here."

"But it's late and you're exhausted," she tried to convince him.

"It's okay I promise. I can sleep in the chair. It wouldn't be the worst place I've slept in, trust me."

"If you're sure…Listen, I don't want to go back to Air Temple Island tonight, can I crash at your place? I'll come back tomorrow morning I promise."

"Sure, you can take my bed," he nodded smiling before pausing for a moment and adding sheepishly. "Eh… might be a bit messy though."

Korra just rolled her eyes at the confession, she hadn't expected anything else, and assured him that it did not matter, she was grateful for the offer as it was. At that Bolin pulled her into a big hug, holding her tight for a moment and thanked her for everything.

Korra left the hospital in higher spirits than she had been since Bolin had shown up on her doorstep, hopefully the worst was over and Mako would well be on the way to recovery soon. Though what she learnt from speaking to the nurses refused to leave her alone. She had to speak to the council in the morning, trying to keep this outbreak under cover was madness, and Tenzin had some tough answering to do.

…

"The city needs to know!" Korra didn't care that she barged in unannounced. She had laid awake well into the first dawning ours of the day thinking, worrying, dreading, and she was in no mood to comply with the dainty etiquette of the ruling establishment.

"Korra, what are you doing here?" It was Tenzin that voiced his confusion, slightly taken aback by the brash intrusion. The others kept quiet for the moment, knowing the Avatar was his responsibility as he was training her.

"We took Mako, a friend of mine," she stopped herself and offered in explanation to the councilmembers that she had not met yet, "to the hospital yesterday and well there I find out that he's not the only one sick. People are flocking to the hospital, more every day and a nurse explained that the reason we had no idea of what was wrong with him, is that _you_ told them to keep quiet. How could you even think that was a good idea? The people need to know what's happening!" She finished furiously and pointed an accusing finger at every council member before letting her gaze linger on Tenzin, silently challenging him to deny it.

"I am sorry Korra, I could not be certain that your friend had the fever that has come to Republic City. We were just discussing that we need to upheave the silence and take action to protect the citizens and inform the public. In the beginning of the week, when the reports first came in, it was a couple of isolated incidents. We could not be sure we had an outbreak on our hands and acted as we thought were the best at the time to avoid panic," Tenzin explained, trying to appease the fuming Avatar, but she was having none of it.

"Then why didn't you tell me? I could have helped you guys, I could have taken Mako to the hospital sooner. I am the Avatar. I deserve to know!" She lashed out and Tenzin sighed.

"Because I knew this is how you would react, we tried to keep it quiet to protect the citizens from panic, I have not even told Pema yet… and in regards to your friend, I did everything I could to help him? As soon as you came to me I tried to help, did I not?" He finished and Korra finally began to calm down. It was true, when Bolin had asked her to come to the arena no one knew what was wrong with Mako and she, from what she could tell at the last match, thought it was just a normal cold. When she had seen Tenzin the next time he had offered his assistance even before she could ask. While she was still angry with him for withholding information, she could see why it had been important to avoid panic.

Though it didn't change the current situation.

"So what's the council planning to do?" She asked, forcing herself to focus on the bigger picture and not her wounded pride and anger.

"It would be an honour to explain our current strategy to deal with the outbreak to the Avatar."

A middle aged man with long chocolate brown hair, dressed in water tribe clothing, stood up and gestured to Korra to come closer before ordering a guard to bring her a chair, "My name is Tarrlok of the Northern Water Tribe and it's an honour to meet you Avatar Korra."


End file.
